News/Press

Shapiro Unveils New Humanitarian Services Program

January 30, 2013

Samuel Shapiro & Company, Inc., a 97-year-old logistics provider, creates a Humanitarian Services Program in an effort to assist philanthropic organizations with international transportation and Customs brokerage.

Shapiro recently created a Humanitarian Services Program in order to expand their support of charitable institutions with logistical needs. The program encourages international relief organizations to contact Shapiro for help with transportation and Customs services. Delivery
of donated goods is frequently problematic since locations in need of relief often have weak infrastructure, which results in difficult logistical issues. The Humanitarian Services Program will use Shapiro’s well-known and respected industry connections to secure low cost services with partnering agents, steamship lines, and truckers.

The pioneer shipment of the Humanitarian Services Program came from Word of Life Fellowship, an international ministry focused on youth that sponsors activities such as camps and conferences, Bible Institutes and Bible Club programs. Word of Life is a nonprofit
organization whose financial resources are supplied by voluntary donations from individuals, churches, and businesses. Recently, Madrid Engineering Group, Inc. (MEG) in tandem with Greenovative Homes, LLC, donated their GreenStar hyper-insulation panels to be installed in the Word of Life’s dining hall in Honduras, which is known to reach unbearable heat levels during the summer months. The patent-pending product, developed by Larry Madrid, Paul White, and Bill Mutz, effectively reduces heat entry into a building and saves on cooling costs. The joint donation covers all manufacturing as well as transportation charges, including final delivery to the Honduran mission.

Angela Pasternak Czajkowksi, manager of Shapiro’s Global Supply Chain team, spearheads the Humanitarian Services Program. “Not only is giving back part of my own personal values, it’s one of the pillars here at Shapiro,” says Czajkowski. “I felt an obligation to use my skills to do some good in the world. I’m not a doctor who can cure the sick. I’m not a lawyer who can fight for social justice. I realized that we have knowledge that others can use in order for their outreach programs to be successful. There are many others here at Shapiro who want to give back but otherwise may not have the outlet through which to do so.”

“Our strength is in application of technology, not logistics, so we appreciate partnering with a shipping expert to get these materials to where they are most needed,” notes Larry Madrid, owner of MEG and Greenovative Homes, LLC. “It helps us to help others, and that is a deep commitment we have at both MEG and Greenovative Homes.”

For more information on Word of Life Fellowship visit, http://www.wol.org/
For more information on GreenStar panels visit, http://mygreenovativehome.com/
To apply for the Humanitarian Service Program, email giveback@shapiro.com.